Have you allowed anyone(besides the other parent) to name your baby?

[CaraMellow]

I was talking to a friend about this. She allowed an Uncle she's very close to choose a middle name for her son. He was thrilled and has very traditional tastes and so she wasn't worried about what he'd choose. There was one name though that she really hates but didn't think to tell him about it. Of course he unwittingly chose that name. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she hated it, so put it on the BC.

Have you ever allowed anyone else to choose a name and how did it work out?

My two older dcs chose their baby sister’s middle name. They were 5 and 3.5 and made a good choice (Ruby) and all three dcs love this story ten years on.

Not quite the same but I named my sister. I was 3.5 and I thought all babies were called *** as we lived in a country where many babies were called after their parents so it was often used as traditional. We knew babies with that name and I presumed our new baby would be called that and that was that 😂

Not really the same wavelength, and more lighthearted/not seriously allowing someone to choose a name, but my students (secondary) have been enjoying the ‘task’ of naming my unborn baby. They don’t know yet but DH and I are actually going with one boy’s idea that we hadn’t thought of until he suggested it!

I chose my best friend's daughter's middle name. They had chosen a first name but couldn't decide on a middle name so I sent a few ideas and she went with one I picked.

I don't think I'd deliberately say to someone "you can pick their first name/middle name" but I might go with a name someone suggests, if I love it. Mainly because I wouldn't want to be in your friend's position

@Jenniferturkington

My two older dcs chose their baby sister’s middle name. They were 5 and 3.5 and made a good choice (Ruby) and all three dcs love this story ten years on.

That’s really cute!

My nephew was asked to pick the middle name for his baby brother. First name had been picked and has a D initial. Nephew chose John as a middle name. Not unusual but not common anymore.
Nephew then had a sleepover at mine where he cried floods of tears as he’s only picked John as he thought it would be funny if his brother was called DJ and now he couldn’t tell anyone as he didn’t want his mum to think he hadn’t taken the responsibility seriously.

A friend of mine is from a culture where it is traditional for the paternal aunt to name her brother’s child. It is a risk! Her SIL left a lot of strategically placed baby name books lying around for her to indicate her preferences.

My now 4yo (3at the time) named my youngest!

We gave him a totally different name on his birth certificate but she was set on the name she liked was the one and it is, it's stuck and it's what he's now known as so his birth certificate needs changing haha

I would never let anyone to name my baby, that’s the silliest thing I ever heard. It is YOUR baby, why on earth would you let anyone name them? It’s ok for older brother or sister to chose a name but only if you really love it! And let an uncle come up with a name that you actually hate and have that on BC? 😮 wow!

We asked DS (then almost 3) if he’d like to pick a name for his sister. Partly curiosity, partly in genuine need of inspiration.

He made up the names ‘Hinch’ and ‘Gonk’ for her. We gently declined his suggestions

It’s only a middle name, though.

DS’s middle name is Hugh, which as a name on its own I don’t love but goes well with his first name and is a nod to my own dad.

I wouldn’t let someone name my baby but there are any number of girls names I like equally (more fussy with boys!) and I can imagine saying ‘do you prefer Isabella, Charlotte or imogen’ and going with the favourite.

My 4 year old sister named me after her favourite cartoon character. Its a very traditional and at the time, common, girls name so when she suggested it my mum just said "yeah, sure".

@Jenniferturkington

My two older dcs chose their baby sister’s middle name. They were 5 and 3.5 and made a good choice (Ruby) and all three dcs love this story ten years on.

I chose my little sister's middle name too (Rose) & always loved that I got to do that. I was a little sad when I realised I wouldn't be able to do that for my own children because DC1 wasn't old enough (they're only 20 months apart).

I chose my sister's middle name

My 2,5 year old chose a name for his baby brother due in 4 weeks. He chose Gung-Gung:), should we go with that? 😂 funny thing is we are so used to saying it over the last 8 months that it started to sound like a perfectly normal name to us :)

My 7 Yr old niece didn't like the name her sister was going to be called and suggested a different one. My bro and sil asked a few family members which one we preferred and we all agreed with niece's choice. So effectively she chose the name. And did a pretty good job too

With me and my siblings, we all have a first name and middle name - paternal and maternal aunts/uncles/grandparents all had a turn at giving us all our names for some reason. My mum chose both names for my youngest sibling though.
For DS and DD, DH and I named both of them and I really love both of their names :)
I chose my eldest niece's name because DSis asked us to choose, and also nephew's name for another DSis. I don't offer suggestions for names unless the parent/s outright ask for my opinion because I feel like it's the right of the parent/s unless they ask otherwise.

Ds wanted sibling to be Bob after his friend's ddog!!
We declined...
Dh had a huge framed name word search made with all our names in - including unborn ds's.. Nobody spotted it!

@Hoplop

Not really the same wavelength, and more lighthearted/not seriously allowing someone to choose a name, but my students (secondary) have been enjoying the ‘task’ of naming my unborn baby. They don’t know yet but DH and I are actually going with one boy’s idea that we hadn’t thought of until he suggested it!

Love this idea! Even the most hardened Year 11, would be thrilled they got it right!

My DS named his baby sister. We said he could pick and he took the responsibility very seriously. I love her name and even more so that he picked it.

@MilduraS
Alice?
Pocahontas?
Olive Oyl?

My DS (3) named his baby sister (7mths).
He named her after one if his cartoons and was adamant that was who she was. He wouldn't even entertain anything else and told everyone her name before she was born!
She's a lockdown baby and after a rubbish year we didn't have the heart to disappoint him. He absolutely adores her :)

We let our dc6 and dc4 choose a middle name for their sibling, we also included them in first name conversations (though we got the final say on that).

Of course it’s lovely for someone you love to chose baby’s name…as long as it’s a name you really like! But if your children would chose a name that you actually hate or don’t even like, I don’t think you would let them?:) all the names mentioned above are very nice so no wonder you “let” siblings pick them.

My mother let a sadistic midwife nun name me — the saint whose feastday it was the day I was born — and I’ve always found it appalling, as it was just my mother weakly going along with the dictates of someone who wasn’t even at all nice to her during labour.